Agents of Discord

by KittyrinnAiko

Chapter 84 repotting Mandrakes

The girls woke the next morning with Kaida roosting on top of Louise like she was an egg that needed hatching.

“Time to get up,” Aurora called into the room from the doorway.

“I need to pee…” Isolde announced groggily as she climbed out of her bed.

“Downstairs between the third and fourth-year dorm rooms,” Aurora reminded her as the girls descended to the second-year floor. “Isolde?”

“Pee now. Talk later.”

“Me too,” Bloom announced and a moment later was hot on Isolde’s tail. And if you are wondering about Isolde and using the girls' facilities, her time in the Caribbean among clothing-optional Akkadians had thoroughly desensitized her.

When the girls went down to breakfast Louise’s Kaida riding on her shoulder raised quite a few eyebrows. They’d hardly sat down when one of the new Gryffindor boys, a lad named Colin Creevey popped up with an old camera. A little black camera shaped like a brick that had silver trim, a bunch of dials, two viewfinders, a lens, and a big flash mounted on top. A relic of another era, but that didn’t stop Colin.

“Hey!” Louise protested a moment after the flash went off followed by a fiery predominance erupting about her with bird and girl reappearing half way down the length of the table.

“Colin, it is customary to ask first,” Aerie scolded. "And never, ever startle a phoenix.

“You’re Aerie Potter! I’m sorry, I’ve never seen a phoenix before. Can I take your picture?”

“I’d…”

“Hey everyone, Aerie Potter is giving out signed photos!” Shouted the very same girl who’d cornered her the night before.

“Shut it, Karen!” Isolde shouted. Sure, what the girl was doing was the sort of thing Draco would have done, which only disgusted Isolde all the more. And she knew who the girl was. Smart, but exceedingly shallow.

“Mind your manners, firsty,” Karen shot back.

“Here now, don’t be like that,” Lockhart interrupted. “Pictures was it Aerie?”

“No,” Aerie stated firmly. “Colin was being a paparazzi. Doesn't seem to understand that it's impolite to take pictures of people while they are eating.”

“Oh, oh my.”

“Mr Creevey, be so kind as to put that camera away before going to class,” Professor McGonagall requested firmly.

“But I wasn’t,” Colin protested.

“You took a picture without asking, did so while she was eating, and frightened her phoenix,” Aurora pointed out. “And we are lucky you didn’t spook her.”

“Aerie, can I get a picture, of you and me together, so I can prove I met you?” He just didn't seem to get it.

“Mr Creevey, you are in the same house. Gryffindor. You are only one year apart,” McGonagall scolded. “I want you to put that camera away. Now. And I’d better not see you toting it around to your classes.
“Now, Mr Creevey.”

Professor McGonagall made it clear that she was not going to put up with any foolishness, watched him go, and then turned to Miss Karen. “Five points from Ravenclaw.”

“What for?”

“Did you or did you not tell the entire hall that Aerie was handing out autographed photos when she is clearly not? Don’t argue with me. I heard you as clear as day. Furthermore, as you seem to have some kind of issue with Miss Potter, I would suggest you stay well clear of her. And if there is one more incident, you will be doing detention. Now, the rest of you, finish your breakfasts and get to class.”

“Yes mam,” nearly everyone at the table repeated. Except for Louise was had to get up and walk back to where she'd been eating.

Ron and Neville arrived just as McGonagall was walking away.

“What’s going on?” Neville asked.

“Colin brought his camera to breakfast,” Dean Thomas offered.

“I’ve got a mind to pitch him and his camera out the window,” Ron bemoaned as he sat down.

“He that bad?” Aerie asked.

“Ron sat on his wand,” Seamus informed them. “It was right after Colin took a picture so naturally it was his fault, and not his own for putting it in his back pocket.”

“If that flash hadn’t gone off in my face I wouldn't have sat on it,” Ron protested.

“Eat your breakfast and we’ll figure something out,” Hermione recommended.

“How about asking your parents for a new one?” Aerie asked.

“I can’t ask my mom for another wand. It’s not completely broken, just bent.” Ron produced his wand. It had a slight bend in it and had tape around the break. “I used Spell-o-tape. It’s still functional.” He let out a sigh. “No other wand could possibly match this one.”

"Ron, I could loan you mine for a bit?" Isolde offered with what she thought a winning smile.

"I'm not using a girl's wand."

"Aren't you going to need it?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It will be a while before they trust us to do any actual magic."

"Might be a bad idea," Aerie cautioned. "Ron might break it and given that it is in its adjustment period where it needs to learn how your magic works it's liable to come back incapable of doing magic without requiring wild gesticulations."

"In that case I withdraw my offer."

"I do not!"

"I'm afraid you do," Hermione corrected. "You're just lucky Professor Flitwick covered for you."

"What?" Isolde asked in astonishment.

"Keep your voice down," Ron ordered in a hushed panic. Isolde's eyes lit up and then she started rolling with laughter.

Following breakfast, the second year’s first class was Herbology with Hufflepuff. Madam Sprout was waiting for them in the classroom, and she looked like she’d already been hard at work that morning, her squat frame covered in dirt, and Aunt Petunia would have fainted at the site of fingernails that belonged on an archaeologist.

“Greenhouse three,” Madam Sprout announced. “Leave your books and notepads, and come along.” She waited a moment. “Hermione, that means you too. I’m going to want one hundred percent of your attention on me. Now, come along...”

And wouldn't you know it, Lockhart just happened to be in the yard waiting for them. “Aerie, I’ve been wanting to have a word with you,” he said even as Professor Sprout produced a large key which she used to open the door to greenhouse three. “You don’t mind if she’s a couple of minutes late?”

“I do too mind,” Professor Sprout protested as the students filed in.

“That’s the ticket.” Lockhart acted like he hadn’t heard a word she’d said and herded Aerie away from the building.

“Sir?” Aerie protested.

“Aerie dear, I’ve wanted to have a word with you ever since I heard.”

“He was trying to keep me off of platform nine and three-quarters,” Aerie protested. After all, what else could he have heard about?

“What? Who was trying to keep you off the platform?”

“Dobby, the house elf.”

“The house elf… Oh, right, yes, I did hear about that. Reminds me of an issue I had with a house elf myself. It’s in my notes.”

“It’s eating you up you can’t take credit isn’t it?”

“Grandstanding that, and you really shouldn't be pulling stunts like that. Not at your age. People might get the wrong idea. Oh, no, no my girl. What I want to know about is Lily.”

“Lily?”

“Your mother,” his tone boisterous, his smile unnerving.

“My mother is dead,” Aerie offered. Her mind wandered to that of a Cheshire cat as she struggled against the Glamour charm the man had put on himself. A rather insidious spell that caused the viewer to see the person only in a favorable light. The stronger the grip of the spell the more likely the victim would do anything that was asked. Indeed if Lockhart wasn't such a shallow man he'd have been downright dangerous.

“Now now, lying does not become you. We both know full well that Luna Moon is your mother and that she is in fact, Lily Potter. Your mother. You have got to tell me where she’s been.”

“She is not Lily Potter.”

“Oh, but we both know that she is.”

“And let’s say for the sake of argument that she is. It’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but it is. I want to meet her. More importantly, my publisher wants to meet her.”

“You mean you want to meet her.”

“Well…”

“She’s in a relationship with Flora and Basil, my foster parents. It just sort of worked out that way.”

“What? My dear, it’s nothing like that. I just want to know her story, that’s all.”

“She was hiding out on Akkadia. And let’s say for the sake of argument that she is Lily Potter I’d imagine that I was probably supposed to follow her. But Dumbledore made sure I wouldn't leave England. Why don’t you try writing about that? Now, can I go to my class?”

“You are going to set up a meeting…”

“And why should I?”

“Because you’ve got a taste for fame. Don’t deny it. Gave you a taste for it I’d imagine. What with being on the front page and all. Plenty of time for you. Why when I was your age I was a complete nobody, but not you, not with the whole He who must not be named connection.” He glanced at the scar. “Granted that that kind of fame isn’t nearly as good as winning Witch Weekly’s most charming smile award five times in a row… as I have. It’s a start though.

“I have a new book out. Aerie Potter and the Muggles, and if I were to count all the Harry Potter books, from which I receive royalties, I’ve more books on the shelf than you do. And I dare say I’ve been in more publications as well. I know what you want. You want to latch onto Luna Moon like some leach so you can write all about your life with her and ride on my coattails.”

“Professor, Aerie is needed in class,” Aurora called.

“In a moment, in a moment…” There was a touch of anger in his tone.

“Now,” Aurora stated with an air of finality.

“Best not to argue with her when she’s like that,” Aerie stated and quickly walked away. A moment later the two girls were inside, the door shut behind them.

“Good of you to join us,” Professor Sprout quipped. “Dare I ask what he wanted?”

“He wants to meet my mom. Specifically Lily Potter. He seems to have gotten it into his head that Luna Moon is Lily Potter.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. In hiding all these years only to reemerge shortly after you did. Not that I’m giving such rumors any weight. I’d imagine that for it to be true Mrs Moon would need to be an Akkadian Princess and be as resistant to the killing curse as you seem to be.”

“To the best of my knowledge, they are two different people and I presently have been blessed with two moms and a dad.”

“Ha, an old practice, but I’d no idea muggles practiced that kind of relationship.”

“It would take entirely too long to explain.” For Luna to be Lily was impossible, wasn’t it? Aerie did have to admit that Luna had taken to this world far too readily. But she’d been Nightmare Moon. Trapped in limbo, on the moon. Hadn’t she? Deep in the back of her mind, she had a nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe Luna had experienced something similar to what she’d experienced. Nova ‘Aerie Potter’ Moon had been caught in the magic generated by the elements of Harmony, found herself in another world, grew up as Nova Moon married a man named Jonathan Arthol, lived a wonderful life, and found herself back in Equestria following a surge of energy from an experimental machine. Could Luna have experienced something similar?

“I’d imagine it would take a bit of explaining, and we’ve got a class to attend to. Now that we are all present, gather round.” Professor Sprout motioned everyone to one side of a trestle bench in the middle of the greenhouse. On the bench, there was a small crate of ear muffs in various shades and numerous small puffy plants each next to a slightly larger empty pot. Here and there buckets of potting soil accompanied the plants.

“Today we will be repotting Mandrakes,” Professor Sprout announced. “Who here can tell me the properties of Mandrake?”

Aerie did her best to raise her hand faster than Hermione and then snapped her fingers in disappointment at having lost.

“Aerie?”

“Mandrake or Mandragora is a powerful restorative,” Hermione blurted out.

“Miss Granger, I don’t believe I called on you. But you are correct. The Mandrake forms an essential part of many antidotes. It’s also very dangerous. Perhaps Aerie can tell us why it’s dangerous?”

“Mandrake contains high levels of alkaloids and is very toxic if prepared improperly. The mature plant emits a high-pitched sound, a cry, that can be fatal. The cry of young plants while seldom fatal can result in a person passing out. The cry is achieved by filling air into an air bladder which is then flushed out through a mouth-like orifice in the root which has a very humanoid shape.”

“Excellent. Ten points for Gryffindor.”

“Professor?” Hermione protested.

“I’m sorry dear, but you did speak out of turn.” Hermione let out an indignant squawk.

“Now, I want everyone to pick out a pair of earmuffs… Aerie, Aurora?” Aerie and Aurora had just pulled state-of-the-art headphones from their bags with microphones attached.

“We came prepared,” Aerie offered. “These little babies are the latest in use by ground crews at airports. They also have Akkadian shielding technology to assure that the electronics will still function properly in a high magic environment along with long life batteries.”

“May I see that?” Professor Sprout took the pair Aerie had and put them on. “Oh my,” she offered softly as Aurora put hers on. “What’s this thing sticking out of it?”

“It’s called a microphone,” Aurora said softly. Professor “It allows the users to talk to each other while filtering out such things as loud jet noises.” Professor Sprout's eyes widen on hearing Aurora's voice coming from the headsets.

“But can it filter out the cry of the Mandrake?”

“It should.” Aurora offered. “Jet engines are mighty loud.”

“Only one way to find out. Everyone, get a pair of ear muffs and put them on.”

Aerie found herself having to put on a pair of fuzzy earmuffs. And that’s exactly what they were as she could detect no noise-canceling spell on them. Perhaps that was intentional?

“Now, as the Mandrakes we have are very young the worst they can do is cause a person to faint,” Professor Sprout offered as everyone scrambled to put on a pair. “Make sure you have your ears perfectly covered. Thumbs up, ear muffs on.

The ear muffs did shut out a fair amount of sound, but it wasn’t complete by any means.

“Now,” Professor Sprout all but shouted prompting Aurora to adjust a setting on her headphones quickly. Professor Sprout waited for a thumbs-up from everyone, reached over, and pulled one of the plants closer to her. “To re-pot,” She pulled a larger pot closer to her. “Take an empty pot, put a handful of potting mix in the pot, and when you’ve done that...” She demonstrated by doing as she instructed. “Get a good grip on the Mandrake, and give it a pull!”

Out came the Mandrake which immediately began to scream as though horrified at having been so rudely pulled from its cozy pot.

Neville passed out even as Professor Sprout was putting the mandrake into the new pot. More soil was heaped up on top of the root and it quieted.

“These are amazing,” Professor Sprout offered as she took the headphones off. She gave them back to Aerie, had Neville placed on a bench outside, went over the instructions again, put on a pair of the fuzzy earmuffs, made sure everyone had their ears covered, and set them to their task.

Aerie picked up a pot, got a good grip on the plant, turned it over, slapped the base of the pot, and then quickly grabbed and pulled up the pot.

“That is not how you are supposed to do it!” Hermione protested as Aerie re-potted the plant. “Aerie!” Hermione shouted as Aerie popped another plant out of its pot. “That’s not how you do it!”

Suddenly Hermione had a hold of Aerie’s headphones.

“What?!” Aerie protested with a rather annoyed tone.

“That’s not how you are supposed to do it!” Hermione shouted.

“It’s easier if you turn them upside down.”

“What?”

“It’s easier if you turn them upside down!”

“What?” This time Hermione lifted her ear muff to hear better, and immediately dropped to the floor in a heap.

A short time later Hermione had been laid out on a bench outside, Professor Sprout and Aerie were out there with her.

“Aerie…”

“About the pot, my Aunt Petunia makes me do all the yard work, and I found that turning the pots upside down and slapping them was just easier and less likely to damage the plant.”

“Yes, I saw what you were doing and tried it. Ten points for the new method. Hermione pulled your ear muff off and you weren’t affected.”

“Listening to my Aunt Petunia screeching must have made me resistant. I do have a slight headache, but otherwise, I’m fine.”

“She’s that bad? Surely she’s not that bad?” Professor Sprout said with a bright smile on her face.

“Nearly as bad.” In truth, Aerie was just more resistant. Most ponies were.

“Well, come on. Let’s get to it. Ear muffs on.”

“She’s going to be alright?”

“They’ll have a headache when they wake. Kind of like the one I’ll have at the end of the day.”

“The fancy headphones are just under five hundred pounds British Sterling. Yes, that’s a lot of money. Over a hundred Galleons wizard money. Don’t look at me like that, I’m rich.”

Aerie smiled at Justin as they reentered a moment later to let him know that everything was fine and that he could go back to work.

And of course, the Mandrake fought them every step of the way. On detecting someone was pulling at their top they’d brace themselves with their feeler roots. And they could tell which way was up but couldn't reason out that they'd been turned upside down. This meant that when turned upside down, all their feeler roots braced upwards. Given that they weren’t truly intelligent but just responding to stimulus they simply were not programmed for being pulled downwards. Something everyone in class, who was still awake, quickly figured out. One obstacle out of the way, the blasted things would brace themselves when being put into a larger pot. Even Aerie had trouble with this.

“Just plop it down on top and dump dirt on it,” Aurora advised over the radio. Aerie looked over at her and watched her demonstrate. As soon as the Mandrake sensed that it was now dropped, it would dig itself down, righting itself in the process. Repotting went a lot smoother once everyone began doing the same.

When class was over, Hermione and Neville were revived.

“Miss Granger, I’ve awarded points to Miss Potter, and Miss Summers,” Professor Sprout informed Hermione in a scolding manner to shut her up. “By doing the task differently they demonstrated that we can use the plant’s tendencies to our advantage. Furthermore, because you removed both Aerie’s and your own ear protection during the exercise you will be getting detention. Yes, I saw what she was doing. There was nothing inherently dangerous about what she was doing so I didn’t think she needed correcting. I tried it, and it works. What you did violated safety. Turning a Mandrake upside down didn’t violate safety, and it allowed us to use the plant’s own behavior against it. Now, I’d suggest you and Neville go see Madam Pomfrey for that headache I’ve no doubt you now have.”

“Yes mam,” Hermione replied and reluctantly headed for the school’s infirmary followed by Neville. Aerie and the rest of the girls used the time they had to rush upstairs and get cleaned up. When they arrived in transfigurations it was all too apparent that the boys hadn’t bothered as they’d still a fair amount of dirt on them. Granted that the grass stains strongly suggested that they’d run out onto the grass to do whatever it was boys actually do when given a little free time with no assignments to keep them occupied.

Professor McGonagall did a little review, and then to everyone’s surprise set them to transfiguring beetles. Beetles into buttons, which they already knew. At least half the class had managed it in short order. Even Neville managed it after a bit and soon the only one who hadn’t managed was Ron. Every time he tried to get the spell to work his wand would spit out sparks. And every time it did, Aurora’s hair would frizz out a little more.

Mercifully the bell rang and it was time for lunch.

First-year broom-riding class proved unusually difficult for Apple Bloom. When it came time to command their broom up into their hands Bloom's broom got it into its head to grow upwards instead of lifting up off the ground like it was supposed to. Indeed the young sapling tree where a broom had been a moment before was quite the surprise.

"Must be green wood," Sweetie suggested with a smirk on her face.

"What's it going to do, produce brooms?" Nott asked derisively only to be shut down when the young tree produced a broom for Apple Bloom.

This time the broom behaved itself in the fashion of a proper broom.

Seeing a broom sprout hadn't been a huge surprise for Isolde. After all, she'd seen Apple Bloom do some plant magic before. She called it plant magic. Her new friends called it earth magic. Isolde took that to mean that Apple Bloom could do more than just make things grow. It'd not be till later that she'd realize that she'd grabbed the broom that had been given to Draco.

Comments

[rendomstranger]

Growing a broom. I must say, that is a new one to me. I've read a good number of crossovers and nothing I've read even came close to that one.

[GhostCreator]

"What's it going to do, produce brooms?" Nott asked derisively only to be shut down when the young tree produced a broom for Apple Bloom.

That's probably the weirdest connection between Apple Bloom's broom and her earth magic.

[midnight arrow]

finally able to read this great chapter

[harts fire]

Hermione can't stand that she is not even close to being the smartest one in the class.
and i did not think it was possible but Lockhart is a bigger get the Dumbledore.
this is year is going to have so many put in there place. this is going to be so fun to watch.

[Flashgo]

I'm just waiting for her to lose her temper with Lockhart.
I'm not sure if potter or swan is going to get him this story. I'm so excited to see who and how they get him.

The nut shot on repeat in another story keeps coming to mind. 🤣 The girl who didn't live.

[KittyrinnAiko]

11820853
Oh... they aren't going to do anything to Lockhart.

[badninja]

I kinda want to have Lockhart try and court Luna. She knows he’s a fraud but makes him go on a small adventure with her. By the end he is looking like a mess but Luna says next time they will definitely go on a longer excursion and they will be really roughing it, no tents. Make him realize that Luna is someone far more into the wilds and doing stuff that would make the real professionals a bit green around the gills.

[KittyrinnAiko]

11821840
I think Aerie would chuck him between to drift endlessly before she ever allowed that.

What if it resulted in a romance!? Aerie could wind up with that nincompoop as her daddy!!!

[Theresa hall]

11822185
I doubt it. His ego was making half the teachers want to wring his neck before the school year was out and Luna probably used to people who are trying to butter her up or seem more impressive than they are.

[Theresa hall]

11820810
Yeah she really needs some humble pie. No wonder she didn't have friends before hogwarts considering she acts like a know it all bossy britches and nobody is going want friendship with someone like that. She assumes that her knowledge will always lead her to the right answer because she is so smart. She needs to be in advanced class so she has to struggle more often with the learning.

[Xarmar13]

11822850
Sadly, O.W.L. exams are not for 3 more years, 4 since the second year has barely begun.

[Theresa hall]

11824348
What they can't advance her a grade till then.